The Case for a Comprehensive Right to Housing Law for Lebanon: Why It Matters and What It Aims to Achieve

Lebanon is facing a deepening housing crisis fueled by decades of speculative real estate practices, weak regulatory frameworks, and the absence of a coherent national housing policy. This crisis has been exacerbated by multiple compounding crises; the influx of Syrian refugees since 2011, the liberalization of rent laws in 2014, the suspension of subsidized housing loans amid financial collapse, and more recently, the impacts of war and mass displacement. As a result, access to adequate, affordable, and secure housing has become increasingly out of reach for most residents.
This policy brief makes the case for a comprehensive right to housing law as a crucial step towards redressing decades of housing inequity and ensuring that housing is treated not as a commodity but as a social right. It draws on international human rights standards and emphasizes the Lebanese state’s obligations under both national and international law.

The proposed legislation, developed by Public Works Studio in collaboration with Legal Agenda and in consultation with other stakeholders, outlines a participatory, rights-based approach to housing policy. It focuses on the state’s role in regulating housing and in the provision of social housing, protection against eviction and homelessness, and addressing precarities of residents of informal areas, and the promotion of collective land tenure models, among others.

At its core, this initiative envisions housing as a foundation for social justice, spatial equity, and dignified urban life for all in Lebanon.